We Stand Together, Fight Together, Love Together
by TapTapAlways
Summary: This is an AU take on the fight against Valentine following the events of episode nine, where the downworlders take things into their own capable hands, with the assistance of just a few brave Shadowhunters. Isabelle/Meliorn, Magnus/Alec, Clary/Jace.
1. Chapter 1

_An alternative ending starting with the events of episode 9, and going AU after that point and onwards._

 _I do not mean any copyright infrigement, and I hope you will like my story._

 _TapTap_

Jace thought his heart couldn't break into more pieces, having to fight his parabatai, then, as they both regained their senses, and Alec still didn't... no, he was no aware that a shadowhunter's heart could be broken into so many pieces, let along keep beating. He had thought it was Clary who was all heart - turns out his' could hurt this badly, too.

As Alec walked away, Jace remained seated on the ground. He hadn't meant to lash out with his words in the way he had done, blaming Alec's sudden whatever-it-was for his behaviour, but he had been at the end of his sanity by the time he said those things. And now, he had to pull himself together and find the two others, ignoring the sudden pain at the knowledge that Clary had replaced Alec in that equation. He couldn't break like that now. They had work to do.

The next few hours were intense. Izzy had gone back to the institute to see what information she could gather there, only to have to flee at a moment's notice to narrowly avoid arrest. It was only due to Magnus' foresight in making her a once-only portable portal-opener and then acting quickly once she needed it that she was not caught. She could not go back to the institute or any other place under the Clave's control any more than Clary and Jace could.

They were all made welcome though at the court of the Seelie Queen. Over the next few weeks, Isabelle especially fascinated quite a few of the ladies-in-waiting, perhaps because most of them had failed, at some point, to attract the attention of Meliorn. It seemed Isabelle's Seelie Knight was not easily seduced. Jace felt a bit proud of her, perhaps irrationally.

They spent the time starting to cement the still fragile alliance between vampires, werewolves, warlocks and seelies. The warlocks, following in their guardian, Magnus', example, got along fairly well with all groups, especially the seelies, and - mostly after some efforts made by Luke and Meliorn - werewolves and Seelies found common ground in how their special senses linked them to the earth and nature.

The vampires, too, accepted the seelies with only a minimal amount of fuss - though the seelies themselves were somewhat more unwilling, sharing the werewolves' aversion to "dead things" - but it was, like expected, the relationship between vampires and werewolves that took the most effort and needed the most work - from all of them - to not blow up in their faces.

As they welcomed more downworlders from more places, Raphael's dutiful courtesy with Luke, and Luke's playful teasing of a Simon who lost control and had his fangs out, came a long way to prove it was possible.

In an effort to further cement that they were all downworlders here, and nothing else mattered, Isabelle and Meliorn were wed together in a seelie ceremony.

It was at their wedding festivities, Isabelle looking resplendent in a silver gown and Meliorn dressed to match, that Magnus arrived in his signature fabulous flurry with news.

"Please say that this is not bad," Isabelle asked, pausing from her night of dancing. Everyone - seelie, werewolf, vampire, warlock and shadowhunter alike - had stopped to pay attention to the High Warlock of Brooklyn. "No. It is good," Magnus assured her in a smug voice. "Valentine had a new plan - and I stole it," Magnus gestured widely in his flamboyant manner, looking very pleased with himself. He looked over to Clary, standing against Jace, who was holding a protective arm around her waist.

"Valentine had a son." "We know that," a seelie responded impatiently, "the boy died in a fire." "So did Valentine," Magnus reminded them, a self-satisfied smirk on his lips. "My brother is alive?!" Clary looked and sounded like she didn't know whether to be pleased or horrified with this revelation.

"No, Biscuit," Magnus turned back to her, his face grave. "Valentine got them both away from the fire, but the child suffered grave burns. That coupled with the demon blood," several gasps of horror were heard at that, "lead to his demise, in the weeks which followed. But Valentine," the warlock's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, "plans to claim that it is _Jonathan_ ", this time the pause was merely for effect," who is your brother." Clary blinked, Jace squeezing her towards him slightly. "What? Why would he do that? If it isn't true..."

"Valentine is a liar, Biscuit. He _lies_ ," Magnus reminded her, his eyes fond as he pronounced the nickname. "Because this," he gestures towards her and Jace, who was still holding her close, keeping her safe against his own shoulders, "gives you strength, and he wants to take that from you. But it is a lie," the warlock announced the word decisively, "I have proven it. We have gotten one step closer, to be ahead of his game."

"So Clary _doesn't_ have a brother," Jace decided to get this confirmed. Magnus looked back at him with all the derision any responsible father would feel at his daughter's boyfriend, though he was not aware of this fact. Like for Luke, Magnus' bond to Jocelyn and loyalty to her family ran deep in the warlock. "She did, but he is dead. You, too, have a brother, but he is a..." Magnus made a vague, annoyed gesture with his hand, drawing an irritated breath. "Hey," Isabelle's voice was playful, "don't say anything bad about Max!" There were a few laughs greeting this statement. The warlock's eyes softened. "Never would I ever," he replied gently, smiling.

"I hate myself for asking this," all eyes now turned on Simon, instead, standing between Luke and Raphael, bridging the gap between several vampire covens and werewolf packs, "but are we _absolutely sure_ Clary was never... by her father...? Demons?" He grimaced. "That's alright, Simon, everyone was thinking it anyway," Clary answered with a grimace. " _Yes_!" Magnus responded a little too dramatically, even for him, as well as a little too loudly. "We _are_ sure of that!" He looked at Clary with understanding in his suddenly catlike eyes.

"Your mother fled from Valentine the moment she did for many reasons." The warlock's voice was tender, and hie eyes caring as he addressed Clary, speaking loudly enough for them all to hear him. "She was aware of what your father did to your brother, only too late, and she got you away in _time_ , Biscuit. Before he could touch you in any way. She had me check at your birth, and again and again as you grew, though I couldn't _possibly_ have missed it the first time. There is _nothing_ wrong with you, _nothing_ , and _yes_ ," his eyes swept over the - relieved rather than sceptical - faces surrounding them, "I am _absolutely certain_." "Thank you," Jace's words were not expected, but Magnus looked like they were satisfying.


	2. Chapter 2

_For all I know the Seelie Queen be as AU as the storyline in this. It goes AU from episode nine and on, and I have watched it no further, so I wouldn't know._

 _No copyright infringement is intended, of course._

Valentine's assassinations of downworlders had all but stopped. His forces more and more often ran into only Shadowhunters or mundanes as the downworlders got increasingly organised. Even while he started searching all the more frantically for more of them to kill, he was still forced to shift his focus. In truth - though Valentine wouldn't have known the reason - between so many warlocks, seelies and the powerful magic of Magnus Bane alone, no searches could breach the web of disguise they were weaving for themselves.

His sources within the shadowhunter society, as well, proved fruitless, as the only shadowhunters within the new allegiance were outcasts, and no one was communicating to the Clave any longer. All he could find was an escape by a Seelie, aided by his shadowhunter lover.

Valentine would have reacted to the report that his daughter was part of the plot to free the Seelie, along with the orphan boy he planned to pretend was her brother, but the Clave did not make the connection between the disappearance of Jace and Clary and that of Izzy and Meliorn, and so Valentine had no reason to believe they were the shadowhunters of this new threat.

The only shadowhunter still present on the inside to connect the dots was Alexander Lightwood, and while his loyalties rested solidly with Lydia and the Clave, he did love his siblings, and so he volunteered no information which could aid in them being caught. He decided to just let well enough alone, for the time being. His siblings were - hopefully - safe, and could not be found to be stripped of their runes. That was enough, for now, for him.

In the Seelie Queen's court, work on finding Valentine progressed at speed as the weeks passed, while other discussions went on unperturbed for them who still remained within the kingdom. Distrust in the shadowhunters grew, not that it had been high before, and as for Jace, Clary and Izzy it was increasingly called for that they become something else. Frivolous as that concern was in some eyes, with everything that was going on, it was still subject to a lot of after-dinner discussions.

"I am married to a seelie, I am seelie-nephilim now," Izzy had started with declaring one evening, to a few snorts of amusement. "Clary has called herself a downworlder since the night we came for Meliorn," Jace pointed out. "Can I just be an..." "anti-shadowunter. Who's with a downworlder, like his sister," Clary jumped in, earning herself many laughs and a kiss from who was generally declared as her fiance. Neither of them had asked the other, but they were both happy to accept the general assumption. They would talk about it, when the right moment arose.

"I am a werewolf," the former shadowhunter Luke pointed out, making Magnus, who sat across from him, snap a pint of beer into existance so they could have a toast on it. "Yeah, that I would rather pass on, given a choise," Jace admitted, but there was nothing rude in his statement. If anything, there was admiration. Which was par for the course in a hall where seelies and warlocks shared plates, werewolves and anti-shadowhunters spoke amicably and vampires drank blood covertly out of respect for their dinner companions. There were still tense moments, but they were an alliance now.

An alliance which would do what no separate party could ever hope to. They were going to stop Valentine. And then, Magnus decided internally, as he saw little Biscuit besotted with her anti-shadowhunter, they were going to have a wedding, or there'd be hell to pay. He'd see to that. Nex to him, Luke merely shrugged in response to Jace's statement. It was more of a sign for hope than anything else, that no vampire amongst the numerous ones within hearing, said a word about someone managing to leash the dog. There were loyalties spreading out, beyond the set groups. The invisibility of their gathering wasn't the only web growing stronger - growing too strong for Valentine to breach. An there was more hope there, than they'd had for many years.


	3. Chapter 3

_No copyright infringement is intended, of course._

 _TapTap_

Valentine had not known. That much was obvious as soon as the confrontation happened. He had managed to slaughter so many downworlders and shadowhunters alike that day eighteen years ago, because he had come prepared, and they had thought themselves safe - proof of the Clave's arrogance, to many. Between tactis from the seelies, vampires, Magnus and Luke, they'd finally decided to take a leaf out of his own book, and this time, Valentine was the one taken back. They were rather proud of this.

Most of Valentine's men - and never having gotten hold of the mortal cup, they were not that many to start with - were not with him, as he had finally been driven to go on one of his raids to kill downworlders himself, thinking his men incompetent.

Naturally, what he thought was a small party, easily slain, was just the opposite. Most of the combined army was in the chosen spot, closing in only after Valentine had stepped out onto their chosen midnight battlefield. The others - vampires in order to keep them and the werewolves separated in battle - were going after his men. Alone, leaderless and not forewarned, they were easy pickings for those so adapted to the night they fought in.

Valentine, of course, was never going to be that. While his men fell around him, Valentine murdered rather than battled two younger warlocks, before being stopped in his tracks seeing his daughter there. When his former parabatai stepped out next to her, wolf pack surrounding Luke, still a man, Valentine did the only thing he could think of. Played his card to weaken his daughter - telling her how that blond shadowhunter so confidently stepping up next to her was her brother. Telling her how she was an abomination, so how dare she call him one. Naturally, after Magnus' research, he only got smirks in return.

Seconds later, Clary fought next to the wolves against one of Valentine's demon-blood-mutated men, leaving Jace to face off with Valentine. And though the latter taunted him, the blonde gave way, seemingly not concerned with how he was being beaten. Of course, Valentine - so concerned with pride - missed the obvious. The strike from his far left, delivered by Magnus, was so strong in magic that it lit the entire battlefield blue. Not even Valentine, completely unaware as he was in his triumph in only being less than a minute from killing Jace, could live when such magic sought to see him dead. The battle, though grievous and cause for much sorrow in the following days, did not last much longer after that.

* * *

"You cannot even wake _him_ up!" Clary's cry at the healers was loud enough to resound through most of the healing tent set up in the seelie kingdom, and cause a few snickers. Putting down the bandages she was holding in order to help, if necessary, Izzy looked up. Both Luke and Jace had hurried to the distraught Fairchild.

"It is not a matter of waking warlock Bane," the healer argued peacefully, the woman warlock seemingly not disturbed in the least by the outburst. "There is no need for you to worry, dear child," the voice, soft and soothing, did not betray upset either. Another, even more powerful-looking warlock took over. "I cannot wake your mother, as of yet, but I will be able to, Fairchild, with _time_. Magnus will have known what Dot did, so he can do it faster. As for Magnus, he doesn't need to be awakened. He overexerted himself. He can be reckless at times - though I dare say it was worth it this time - and he will wake when his body is ready. The only danger would be him being attacked, and with no hostile downworlders here, the only threat would be shadowhunters." "That does not seem very threatening," Izzy cut in, going up and wrapping her arms around Clary, who leant close immediately. "Neither you nor I would hurt Magnus, would we? So he is completely safe. He'll wake soon, you'll see."

"I might toss something at him, but I wouldn't kill him. And even then, not before he wakes up your mother!" Jace promised from a few steps behind. Luke chuckled in response. "Why should anyone help someone as annoying as you?" He stated as a rhetorical question, sounding suspiciously like the warlock himself. When this drew the eyes of the younger nephilim, he shrugged. "Someone needed to say it, when he cannot." Clary finally smiled.

"We should all get some rest," Izzy decided. "If you do not need heling, go get some sleep. She met the eyes of her husband, who was just opening his eyes over in the bed she'd been staying close to all this while while working, and smiled. "We did it. I know it is only the beginning, but we can afford to take this night off." Meliorn, still a bit unsteady after the sleeping potion he'd been given to set a broken bone, smiled back. Neither one noticed if her advice was heeded or not.


	4. Chapter 4

_No copyright infringement is_ _intended_ _, of course._

 _TapTap_

The big difference once they had taken out Valentine was that the game itself changed. It was someone less - someone very unpredictable, at that - on the playing board, but it did not mean it was all over. Clary, Luke and Izzy were amongst the more easily persuaded shadowhunters, while Jocelyn and Jace held on for a slightly longer debate before they too agreed that the Seelies' and Warlocks' proposal to overthrow the Clave was the only reasonable proposal.

"They only follow the accords to their own gain," Meliorn finished the debate - held the day after Magnus had come to from his overexertion and promptly awakened Jocelyn - which had taken less than an hour to persuade all the anti-shadowhunters to go with the downworlders on this. "What shall we do instead?" one vampire questioned, but Magnus' response was enough to calm the situation before a new debate arose.

"The seelie people already have a queen," the high warlock of Brooklyn reminded them, "and the warlocks have high warlocks. Our new anti-shadowhunters will need outposts of their own, and most vampires and werewolves prefer to live in packs or covens of their own design." Pausing, making sure that they were all listening (and they certainly were) Magnus Bane continued.

"Instead of the accords, we have our alliance. Very few downworlders - certainly most of those we know to follow the accords - are already part of this gathering. I suggest a council, including the seelie's queen, a few of her knights, a few select anti-shadowhunters and the high warlocks. The high warlock of each region, along with the new institue head if there is one, will have a local council with all of the local pack leaders and coven heads, from which they all govern their all people. Any issue or breach of new rules, is taken back to the high council."

A few weeks ago, there would have been a lively debate at giving the warlocks more power than vampires or some other fraction, or exact numbers would have been argued for hours. As it was, Magnus's suggestion was accepted with minimal fuss, and everyone was given as many seats in council as they needed. The number of local councils was determined by where the high warlocks were placed ("It is only fair," the Seelie Queen backed this plan up, "as we know _their_ system works, and has for a long time now"), each high warlock leading their own council. The nephilim at their side were fewer, but with so much help to be had, no one worried that demons would overrun them. Even less so, when the warlocks and seelies broke through and found a way to restore the many de-runed nephilim who had found their way to them into full warrior power.

As they planned, the warlocks used clever foresights put in the nephilim institutes' own wards to spy on the Clave and their subjects, finding that unable to find them, Valentine had turned on his own kind. Between that and shadowhunters turning anti-shadowhunters, their numbers were as week as their moral, and the Clave lost more trust by every passing day.

The battle, once it came, was not really a battle. It had been Jace Wayland's idea - a show of much trust from his side - to develop a spell to blind their nephilim opposition, and with not only him but a few more of their own as willing test subjects, Magnus Bane had (without doing any more harm to the volunteers than cause a passing migraine for Jace, something no one at all believed to be an accident) had invented a very effective spell.

The warlocks had spoken the spell first at a distance of half a mile, the maximun of its reach, and aimed solely at the opposing nephilim. The werewolves had acted as distraction for the confused warriors, while the vampires with superhuman speed and agility had them all bound, and the children cared for. They then left the missions and ongoing operations to the waiting anti-shadowhunters previously selected for each stronghold. Most institutes fell within the first half-hour, the transition smooth and bloodless, and not even Idris lasted more than a few hours. There were few losses, and only three at their side - one young werewolf and two reckless vampires - before they could declare themselves the winners.

"This is disturbing," Jace noted, standing next to his sister, on all accounts, and his fiancée, also on all accounts. "They cannot see you," Magnus assured him, as they stood before the full cells in the old church in New Work, their local high-quarters. It was different, now, than when they took it merely a day ago, werewolves and vampires allies and allowed free reign, and Meliorn volunteering to help run it with Izzy, Jace and Jocelyn while Clary followed her mother's urgent advice and made ready to accept her place in art school. Raphael and Luke, as well, had seats at their local council table. Magnus, of course, was their local high warlock.

"Is Max in there somewhere?" Izzy was looking seemingly without wanting to see. "No, the warlocks have taken charge of all the children. It is our way to raise any children who needs us as our own, after all. A few nephilim, especially mothers, have begged to stay with them, and they are allowed to, as long as they do not try and manipulate the children against us. They show no signs to be willing to risk it, as of yet," Magnus filled them in. Clary groaned. "How can the warlocks get so much done? We go to bed one night and you've reshaped the fabric of the world when we wake!" Magnus' smile was fond and not a little proud, "Habit, Biscuit," he summoned a small blue orb in his hand, "also, we can do magic."

"But mum and dad are in there," Izzy returned to her earlier thought. "And Alec. He is worried, I can feel it through our bond," Jace filled her in. "Not in pain, not harmed, but worried. Mostly for others." Clary grimaced along with Izzy and Magnus. They had to come up with some sort of solution - they could _not_ keep half of their family in a cage.


	5. Chapter 5

_This chapter features Clary being badass, the Seelie Queen being awesome, Simon being oblivious and Magnus being lovesick but utterly sweet and awesome. So... nothing new!_

 _No copyright infringement is_ _intended_ _, of course._

It had been three weeks since their victory over the Clave, and five since their victory over Valentine, when the alliance gathered in the seelie kingdom once more for a general meeting. They could painlessly decide that the new rules and government worked, and that the demons were under more control than ever.

Few as the anti-shadowhunters might be, when their prey was tracked by werewolves and they had the eyes and ears of the vampires to assist them, not to mention could split their numbers between fighting and sharing strength with warlocks to contain the demons, involving nephilim who otherwise couldn't contribute, no section had had any trouble.

"That leaves what to do with the shadowhunters we have in custody," Maia, one of the werewolves of New York, stated a little testily. "They are cared for in the cells in New York. Let them live out their lives there," an older warlock said, disinterested in something so brief as a mortal lifespan.

"We can contain them, and I have spells set up, they are not uncomfortable down there. The children will grow up either here or with us and we have granted the wish of mothers - and a few fathers - who wanted to pledge us allegiance in exchange for being allowed to stay with their children," Magnus reported. "They are contained, but we haven't seen any hint of trouble. Some may be willing to share strength with warlocks in order to do especially protective spells. They might even come over completely to our side, eventually. Many of them seem extremely grateful their children are safe, and that they are not taken from them. As for most of the shadowhunters, those who were amenable to join us already did, when the Clave did nothing and we fought against Valentine. In most cases we might have little choice other than to do let them live out their lives in captivity, but I would happily hear other suggestions."

"I am not opposed getting a bit more even with a few of them, though I must remind you all that if we resort to cruelty, we are no better than the system we overthrew." Meliorn stated solemnly. "I don't know if I can live with having my parabatai in prison, simply because he did not want to come with me and so become a traitor," Jace stated, his voice slightly hoarse.

"We actually thought of a possible solution for that particular... concern." The Seelie Queen spoke up from her throne. "If the new leaders for the anti-shadowhunter community is to be Isabelle Lightwood and the Fairchilds, the parabatai and brother of two of them can not remain in a cell. It is unfair on them all." No one reacted to her naming Luke and Jace as Fairchilds, as well as Jocelyn and Clary. It seemed everyone was expecting two marriages to take place in the near future.

"Everyone knows that a warlock must be payed for their services, and none of this - even with all of us - would have been possible without the expertise and help of Magnus Bane. As we seelies recall, the High Warlock of Brooklyn wanted the Lightwood eldest. Would he not be a suitable payment?" She suggested it softly, and completely without menace.

It was silent for a moment, then Simon broke what seemed to be silent agreement with a cry of, "wait, _what_?!" Are we seriously discussing giving Alec to Magnus as a sex-slave, because much as I don't _like_ the guy, that is _way_ out of the..." "Yes, thank you, Sheldon," Magnus cut in, slightly offended. "But I _do_ believe that falls under _no cruelty_ , wouldn't you say? I would never do such a thing!" "Of course you wouldn't, that's why I suggested it. He would be safe with you, and stop causing harm to his parabatai," the Seelie Queen stated calmly, nodding over to where Jace at that very moment was rubbing his parabatai rune as if it was causing him great distress, or a measure of pain. Self-consiously, he stopped.

"Still, we should talk about..." Simon persevered. "Of course. But I must say I consider it obvious that I would not harm Alexander. In _any_ way." Magnus looked tired. "Well, rather say it once too many than once too few times," Luke added in, "speaking as a cop." "Then that is settled," perhaps not entirely surprisingly, it was Izzy Lightwood who spoke up. "Magnus would never harm my brother and now we've even said that out loud, just to be certain there is no missunderstanding. I trust him with Alec. It is a good solution, and I could see him often there. Like Max, now that he lives here, as well," Izzy was still elated with the news that some nephilim children - including her little brother - would be raised with the seelies, while the warlocks took the rest.

"Then that's settled," the Seelie Queen smiled, while Magnus looked just the smallest bit apprehensive. What if Alec did not agree? It would be vital to tell him right away he could go back to his parents and the safety - if restriction - of the cells at any time, should he wish it.


	6. Chapter 6

_No copyright infringement intended, nor any spooking of Alexander, which is entirely accidental. Magnus loves and wants to protect him._

 _TapTap_

Alec hated the uncertainty. He had seen warlocks around, they all had, and if fights broke out because of some idiots losing their heads, there was swift intervention. Not only were they not harmed, they were not allowed to cause harm to one another, either. Their cells were crampt, but clean, and they were fed. They had been unceremoniously told that no harm was to befall them. Alec had watched a young mother plead to the wards at one side of the cell, shielding something they couldn't see, to get to see her baby daughter.

She had been crying against the wall for only a few minutes, when a female warlock came and took her away. She had returned an hour later to fetch a few friends in the same situation, no longer crying, and neither of them had been seen since. They all wanted to think they'd been allowed to be with their children, wherever all the children had been taken to, but many feared they'd just been fooled and killed. Many other parents had been missing all along, same as the children. Alec worried for Max so much it almost physically hurt. At least Izzy and Jace was away from all of this... he could not follow through on the thought that they might be amongst the winners at first, but once the thought had crossed his mind, he found comfort in the idea that Max might be with Izzy. He could only pick up on positive emotions from Jace.

Today, the hands which opened the cell doors were not those of warlocks, but vampires. Not recognisably New York locals. They also seemed to be looking for someone in particular, and true enough, they stepped into the cell with the focus and determination of those who knew who they were looking for.

Alec was not so stupid as to fight when they picked him out. Making it clear, strangely, that under the new authority the engagement between him and Lydia Branwell was not valid, they took him from the cell, as soon as Lydia had agreed - something Alec begged her to do, as they threatened to otherwise just eat her instead. There was no way for the shadowhunters to know that the vampires were only mocking them, after all.

Many of the older shadowhunters in the cells found the removal of the eldest Lightwood child ominous, and only very few even thought about that his sister's disappearance might be linked to this Downworlder Uprising, as the Clave had named it before they fell.

Alec followed silently as the vampires -bizarrely - put a red bow on his jumper and, not unkindly, dragged him along. He knew immediately who they'd brought him to once the red bow he wore turned a rich, warm gold. Magnus.

Magnus was standing at the center of the old church which had been their old headquarters in New York, and apparently was where they were being held. He was leaning onto a desk, looking a little bit pained. Alec's first reaction was to want to reach out and try to soothe, somewhat bizarrely. His next instinct, was to worry that Magnus was angry with him, after how their last meeting went, but he saw no such emotion. Ignorning the vampires, he asked the first question he had to know the answer to, now that he stood before someone he trusted to answer it. "Is Max safe?"

Magnus' smile was a bit sad, and for a moment Alec feared the worst, but then he nodded and it felt like a weight he had not fully been aware of fell off of Alec's shoulders. "Izzy? Jace?" The vampires left with a snort and what sounded like "Happy hunting, Warlock!" but Alec didn't pay them any attention.

"They're fine. Izzy married that seelie - the one that the Clave kidnapped - Meliorn, and she, Jace and Jocelyn will run this institute together, in the future, while Clary studies and Luke heads the local wolf pack. Max lives with the seelies, where he is near your sister, and the other nephilim children are either with him, or the warlocks. Both groups have nephilm with them, in the form of their parents, and a few of our allied anti-shadowhunters, who wanted to take on this duty," Magnus filled him in softly, making it as painless as possible by volunteering the information and not forcing him to ask.

"What will happen to the others?" Alec gestured in the direction he'd just been brought, speaking quickly, eager for the first news he'd had in the weeks since they'd been caught. "Many might live out their lives in captivity. Others will get the chance to redeem themselves, given an opportunity to do so," Magnus spoke softly. "You are not curious as what will happen to yourself?"

Alec blinked, as if he only just thought of that, and slowly nodded. "You can go back to the cells and your parents at any time," Magnus stressed this sentence peculiarly strongly, "at any time, and you will be safe there, Alexander. Do you understand me?" Alec nodded, puzzled. "Until you chose to do so, you're with me. You may prove your cooperation by helping me with spells, like you did the night I healed Luke, if you recall." "And the bow?" Alec asked carefully, nodding to the now golden bow pinned to his sweater. He noticed Magnus roll his eyes. "Officially, you have been given to me as a reward - recognition for all the magic I've done to help our cause. I wanted you, and I got you. As a thanks, of sort, I suppose. With your permission, of course. As I said, you can go back at any..."

Alec watched the warlock speak, watched how Magnus looked uncomfortable, and still so very fond. "Was this Izzy's suggestion?" he cut the warlock off. It would only strike him weeks later that Magnus thought of this as possible coercion. He, at that moment, saw only matchmaking. Irritating, but not threatening, sisterly intervention. Maybe, he would say when asked, because he trusted Magnus. He just did. Not to mention, by then, he knew for sure his sister was involved, and it never struck him as possible that she - or Jace - would ever allow for him to be hurt if they could at all help it.

Still in that moment, Magnus closed his mouth with a snap, then smiled softly. "No, but she was the one to approve the idea. I think she might be matchmaking. Do you want to go with me? There won't be any punishment if you don't." Alec smiled in response. "I want to come," his voice had somehow been reduced to a whisper as he said it, but he knew from Magnus' smile, that the warlock had heard.


	7. Chapter 7

_Warnings for mentions of parabatai-worrying of a potentially distressing nature._

 _And here is all the Malec fluff. Because we needed some!_

 _No copyright infringement is intended, of course._

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Jace rushed into the institute with the air of someone so angry they can no longer think. Lashing out at the first person he met, pretty much, he shouted at Izzy, "This was _your_ idea to let them! How _could_ you!?"

Jace!" Clary stepped in, putting a hand on Jace's arm, trying to calm him down while Isabelle just stared, completely lost. Meliorn stepped in front of her, as if to protect her from her enraged foster-brother. Jace moved as if to shrug Clary off, but calmed at the last movement and leaned into the touch instead. "Sorry, Iz. I know it is not your fault. I went to Magnus' place - to see Alec, I haven't seen him for months, you know? - and he refused to let me in. He did something with his wards, I don't think he wanted Alec to be able to even hear I was there." Clary, Melion, Isabelle, Luke and Jocelyn all stared at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Magnus did _what_? That is not like him," Jocelyn frowned, looking at Luke with worry.

"I'll go talk to him. Magnus likes me, he'll listen." Clary decided. "I'll come." Izzy said immediately. "Maybe, Isabelle..." Jocelyn tried, but she shook her head. "No, I'll go with Clary. He has to listen then." "We can try that. We'll go if he doesn't," Luke agreed.

"Let me get better shoes, we'll go right away." Izzy decided. Clary just nodded.

They made their way over to Magnus' loft by foot, as Clary hoped to calm her friend down a bit before they arrived. Naturally, it did not work at all, and by the time they arrived, Isabelle had worked herself into an absolute rage. A rage which seemed to disperse with the pure surprise on her face once Magnus' voice greeted them at the door on the street. "Isabelle, Biscuit! Come right up, the doors and the wards are open for you!" Completely taken aback, they looked at each other, Izzy got the door, and they made their way up.

The sight that greeted them in Magnus' loft was not what they had expected - recently, anyway - but it was what they had hoped for, just that morning. Magnus was sitting in the couch with an open book balancing on the arm of the sofa, while Alec was resting his head in the warlock's lap, reading a book of his own, barely aware of his surroundings, while Magnus trailed his fingers through his hair.

"Hello, Biscuit. Isabelle." Magnus looked up, smiling. "Are you here to see me, or just to check on Alexander?" Hearing his name, Alec looked up, his face lighting with a smile and he - gently, they both noted, taking care about Magnus comfort in a natural, almost subconscious, caring way - got up to hug his sister, clutching at her like one does when utterly relieved that someone is safe.

 _They had originally started to drift off on Magnus' couch, but had gotten into pyjama bottoms separately and were now_ _crawling_ _into Magnus' kingsize bed, from either side, as Alec had declined the warlock's offer to make up a bed in the spare room. Alec himself was not entirely sure he dared, but they'd only sleep, right? He was really tired, after everything, and relieved to hear his siblings and Jace were safe and well. All he really wanted now was to curl up and sleep,_ _preferably_ _where he could hear Magnus breathing, maybe even be able to sense his heartbeat._

 _"Remember, Alexander," Magnus was saying as they pulled up the blankets, and the lights dimmed themselves, "you may leave at any time, and you are under no obligation to do anything you don't want to do. The humour of vampires aside, you are a person and not property, and you have a right to decide.." "Yes," Alec interrupted what might otherwise become_ _speech_ _number four or five or something of the evening, yawning. "I've got rights, I get it. Message_ _received_ _. Now can we please sleep?_

 _When they did go to sleep, a few moments later, they were both still at opposite sides of the bed, but somehow, hands had found their way through the space between them, and they were carefully holding hands, fingers cradling fingers as if never wanting to let go. And if Alec's fingertips found their way to where they could feel Magnus' heart beating, well, then the warlock was not complaining, and neither one of them were telling._

"Alec," Izzy had tears of relief, happiness and maybe even love in her eyes as she looked at the person she loved most in the world, if demon magic was to be believed. "I was so worried." "Yeah," Alec's response was not very elaborate, nor grandly phrased, but it was certainly heartfelt. Izzy smiled. "I got married. Max lives near me. He's happy, too." "Magnus' told me. Keep an eye on Max for me, please?" At his sister's nod, Alec swallowed. "Thanks."

"Why did you not let Jace in here, Magnus? Izzy turned her head to look at the warlock, seemingly deciding that it was the best approach this time to be blunt. "Is it because of the crush Alec thinks he has on Jace? Because let me tell you..."

 _Alec looked down at the toast, remembering how Izzy couldn't cook even that for a moment, as Magnus' got back in bed, still wearing only his bottoms. "I used to think I was in love with Jace," he knew he had to say it, and he knew no more delicate way, so he just did, before he lost courage to do so. "I know, Alexander, I know," the warlock's voice was gentle as he replied. "If you've never been in love, it can be hard to know the difference between that and simply a crush on a loved one."_

 _"I know the difference now," he admitted silently, finally looking up and seeing Magnus' smile. "But I still feel..." "You need time," Magnus suggested. "And some distraction, both of which I can do. I'll help you. We will take this at whatever pace you'd like, Alexander. You lead, and I'll follow - and I'll help you, teach you, at every turn. I promise." He got a nod in_ _response_ _._

 _"I don't know if it'll be worse again when I see him," Alec finally confessed. Magnus leaned over and kissed the crown of his head affectionately. "Wait until you're ready. I won't let him up here unless you want to. Not unless you think it is the right time to meet him again. We can explain. To your sister, if you like, or Biscuit. They'd understand."_

 _"I don't know how to do this," this time, when confessing as much, Alec met Magnus' eyes, so he saw the raw honesty in them effortlessly. "Don't forget, Alexander," Magnus voice was low and endlessly affectionate - he could hear his smile as much as see it - that you are new to me, too. We will learn about each other, together. That's a promise." Alec could only smile back, and he leant in to rest his head against that of his warlock._

"Yes," Alec interrupted, before his sister could finish speaking or Magnus could even open his mouth to reply. "I need time to get over him, Izzy." His eyes might have grown just a little bit pleading as he finally let go of his baby sister. "Just let it be. I'll see him when I'm ready. Tell him that for me, okay? I decided this, Iz," he added, when she did not immediately respond. "Not Magnus. I want to get over him. I.. it was never... I want Magnus, not Jace. And I want to forget. I want him to _just_ be my parabatai. Give me some time?" Izzy finally relented at that, smiling and stepping away. "Okay. I'll tell Jace. And brother? For what it's worth, that's the right decision." He nodded, simply confirming, "I know."

The girls stayed a while after that, Magnus ordering them all lunch and they talked over their food about the war against Valentine and all that had happened. Izzy and Clary could both tell that Magnus had already answered all immediate questions Alec had, and that Alec felt both safe and comfortable living there with him. Awkward, yes, but not threatened or forced. They did not really care about awkward. Izzy might have even thought Magnus would be good for her brother on that count.

"So," it was Clary who finally asked. "You two are..." "Trying, Biscuit," Magnus replied softly, smiling in that honest way few got to see, "we will take our second chance, and hopefully make the best out of it."


	8. Chapter 8

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The mood in the large holding cells - expanded by now to hold all the shadowhunter prisoners with ease, keeping them comfortable - was tense, and it grew tenser each day. Nephilim kept disappearing, sometimes during the night, sometimes before their very eyes.

Now, for the first time, wards seemed to come down, letting them see into the space beyond them. Maryse Lightwood could be heard gasping as one of the warlocks respectfully greeted, "Mrs Lightwood," heralding the arrival of Isabelle, holding hands with that seelie the Clave had tried to send to prison without proof.

Isabelle Lightwood then proceeded to point out nephilim to extract from the cell, making many faces go white. One woman, as she was brought from the cell, screamed out, "Izzy! I covered for you! That night you snuck out to see the seelies and I never told on you, ever!" Izzy smiled in response. "I know. I am doing you a favour back. I know you're not that narrowminded, so you get a chance to prove yourself!"

"There's nothing to be scared of, we are not going to hurt you," assured Clary Fairchild, it must be her, with her flaming red hair, having arrived and standing so close to Jace Wayland. "If you consent to the chance, you will each," a flamboyant warlock with pink stripes in his hair addressed the extracted, captured nephilim, "be given to a chosen warlock to share strength for spells, to prove your loyalty. If any of you would prefer a certain arrangement, we are willing to discuss it."

As he finished speaking, one of the selected nephilim stepped forward. "My parabatai was taken, weeks ago," she spoke up, "I would would very much..." "Yes," the warlock interrupted her. "She is with the seelies, as they took most older and very young children - like her baby - and we would like you to teach the nephilim children, as well as possibly aid in spells if needed." Taken aback, she merely nodded her thanks.

When the wards were established again, the imprisoned nephilim had much to think about. Many of them did not change the way they thought, but there were still those who did, and who could eventually be let back up, into the light where all things living belong.


	9. Epilogue

_With this epilogue, we have reached the ending. I hope you have all enjoyed this alternative version of events. I would love to get some reviews if you did. :)_

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It was a perfect day for a mother and daughter double wedding, and for two new Fairchilds to take the name. Alexander Lightwood and Jace Wayland - soon Fairchild - had been reunited at last, as it was agiven that he was to be the best man for his parabatai. It was time, too, no veils between them any longer, and Alexander returned to his fiance Magnus' side after he had done his part with an honest smile on his face.

Mother and daughter were both lovely brides, their respective husbands-to-be standing under the falling rose petals in the Seelie glade and having eyes for no one but their own bride. The only matron of honour - a heavily pregnant Isabelle Lightwood - was just as beautiful, and she too, had a man awaiting her with eyes for only her. Life was good, now, at the ending of so many things and the beginning of other life stories, much happier ones. They all felt lucky to be in this new world, together as a family. So it was, that they all lived happily ever after.


End file.
